Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I watched part of the TV series then got bored and stopped. I figured the books were better and I'd read them instead.

I finally picked up the first book, and well, I didn't like it much. There was too much female brutality, sexism, and lack of respect for the women in the story. Even Sookie was portrayed as a woman who couldn't live without her man, who would do anything for him, to protect him.

He's portrayed as an old fashioned man, since he was born a loooooooong time ago, and he tells her he's used to woman being damsels and men being the heroes, and that she better get used to it. He protects her by killing for her, against her wishes, and yet she still wants him, despite his lack of respect towards her.

Now I can take brutality and sexism in books, I have read many much more gruesome stories, but I don't like it when being a weak woman is glorified like this. So no, I'm not going to waste my time with these books anymore.

The Last To Know by Melissa Hill

What is the book about? Oh, this one is so complicated I don’t even know how to explain it! Some people write a book and send it to Brooke, who is an editor, to let her know the truth about her background.

What did you like most about it? A very interesting story and exciting enough for me to want to read to the end to find out what happens.

What did you like least about it? The author is so full of gimmicks and deluded self-praise (you’ll understand why when you read the book) that I never want to read another one of her books again.

Who would you recommend it to? Anyone who likes stories in the vein of Jodi Picoult and has a higher tolerance level than me for gimmicks.

Any additional comments? The author is actually quite a talented writer if she would stop making it all about writing techniques and just tell the story. When you get to the end of this story, it’s so nonsensical that you just wonder, what was the point? I feel like she’s not using her writing to tell the story, but using the story to show off her writing.

Before I Forget by Melissa Hill

What is the book about? A freak accident causes Abby to lose her short-term memory, which of course causes a lot of problems for her. She wants to forget the man who left her before her accident, but can’t, and there’s a wonderful new man in her life, if only she can remember him.

What did you like most about it? It’s a fun and easy read, with a very interesting premise. It was exactly what I needed because I was still in a reading slump and couldn’t concentrate on heavier books.

What did you like least about it? The author is talented but often I feel like she’s trying too hard. She’s very gimmick-y, and you’re conscious of it the whole time.

Who would you recommend it to? People in need of a light beach romance.

Any additional comments? I found her gimmick-y writing very annoying and predictable after a while. I wouldn’t have read another one of her books except that I bought two on offer.

Fate and Ms. Fortune by Saralee Rosenberg

 

From the blurb:

 

With the name Robyn Fortune, shouldn't luck be a sure thing? Instead, black clouds love me. All I did was show up at a family bar mitzvah and cue lightning . . . this huge storm blew in.

My mom announced she was leaving my dad and moving in with me. (Perfect! More competition on JDate.) I found out my boss planned to fire me. (Help wanted: Be the exclusive makeup artist for a two-faced network news star.) My ex's gambling debts left me near bankruptcy. (Please buy our wedding gifts on craigslist.) But, good news. I was offered money to date a man who had worse luck than me. (Dear Visa, I hope you appreciate that I said yes.)

If not for my friend Rachel, I would have chickened out. Instead, I went to his apartment, spotted an old photo, and realized it was HIM! The boy I was mad for in college but never got to meet. And get this! Turns out our paths had been crossing since birth.

Coincidence or karma? Our finagling families wouldn't talk . . . until the day destiny sent me on a wild ride that became my long lost spiritual journey.

Ladies, take my advice. When fate knocks, answer the damn door!

 

My thoughts:

 

Oh, fun, fun, fun read! It’s not your regular chick-lit story, because I can tell you one thing, while the characters were caricatures, they aren’t your regular stereotyped characters.

 

I can’t really say much because I don’t want to give away anything, so I’ll just tell more about what I thought of the characters. I initially didn’t like the ‘boy (she) was mad for in college’, and in fact, I didn’t like him much later on either. I did like another guy she knew in high school, and what a great catch he is! I’d love to have someone like him for myself!

 

I love Robyn’s mum, I thought she was fun and full of life, though I don’t like the reason she gave for leaving Robyn’s dad, apparently for an old flame she used to have before marrying Robyn’s dad.

 

I love the writing style, it was really such fun reading this book, and I enjoyed the easy flow of reading the words on paper. A lot of the book was funny, except the stand-up jokes, which to be honest, were a little lame.

 

Anyway, all’s well that ends well, and things finally work themselves out in the end. It’s a great summer beach read, though I’m a little early, but hey, it’s always summer in Malaysia.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

 

I’m a huge fan of Kinsella’s, though I’ve been avoiding her Shopaholic series because I really prefer not to read series, and I’m not much of a shopper either.

 

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now, but have only recently bought it at the MPH distributors’ sale. I started it last night at about 10pm, and finished it at 1.30am.

 

What can I say? It was a fun and easy read.

 

The book is about 25-year-old Lexi Smart, who tripped and hit her head, woke up three years later with amnesia, a new high-paying job, a model-esque body, and a husband.

 

Well, apparently she was in a car accident and had forgotten everything that had happened in the last 3 years. Her last memory is when she tripped and fell when she was 25 years old. Now she wonders what happened in the last three years; who is her husband? how did she become a director in her company? why do her old friends hate her?

 

It’s confusing, and frustrating, and she’s not sure who to trust and what to do, but it’s exciting reading about her figuring it out, and it’s wonderful when she does, finally!

 

Certain things in the book are a little bit unrealistic, but then again, it’s so much fun reading a Kinsella book that those bits don’t really matter. It’s the aspect of the fantastical that appeals to me. I love the premise, though of course I would never want to have amnesia, but it’s always interesting to read about it.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

 

I finished this last week, but hadn't had the time to review it until now. I had also just finished Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd read this too.

 

I haven't read any of the Shopaholic series, but I've enjoyed the two Kinsella books that I have read.

 

This one is about a high-powered lawyer named Samantha, who makes a huge mistake and runs away from all the pressure. As she's walking blindly, not knowing where she is, she knocks on a door to ask for directions and is mistaken for a domestic helper.

 

Somehow through misunderstandings and miscommunication, Samantha ends up becoming their maid, and in fact, enjoying it!

 

Ultimately though, her past mistake catches up with her, and she has to face it no matter how hard it is.

 

Love the concept, love the humor, I think Kinsella's hilarious, and I really want to read her other non-Shopaholic book, Remember Me?, but I promised DH I wouldn't buy another book until I was done with what I already have. Hmm... wish me luck on that.

Cyber Cinderella by Christina Hopkinson

I've been reading a lot of heavy books lately, and I just felt like having a little light, fun, book to relax with, especially with how busy this December has become.

Cyber Cinderella is about this ordinary woman, Izobel Brannigan, who googled herself one day out of curiousity (which of us haven't done that?), and then found a website dedicated to her.

She isn't a celebrity, or even remotely connected to one, she hasn't done anything particularly worth noting, she's just an ordinary person. And yet the website dedicated to her seems to be saying otherwise. Izobel is a little bit flattered, but mostly freaked out. Does somebody have a crush on her? Or did she have a stalker? Who is this person who have been following her and taking 'pap' (papparazzi) shots of her and putting them on the website?

The suspense almost killed me while I read the book, wondering who the website creator was. The writing itself was ok, and the book as a whole was enjoyable, but it was the suspense that got to me! I just literally couldn't put the book down, I kept turning the page, hoping that the next one would tell me who the person was and then I'll be content to go to bed and finish the book the next day.

I finally found out who it was, and I ended up finishing the book too anyway. It's a fun read, but I didn't exactly get to relax because I was too curious and wanted to find out whodunnit it a hurry. Oh well, on to my next read then.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Date Started: 1st Mar 2007
Date Finished: 2nd Mar 2007

Rating:

As usual, Sophie Kinsella's book is a light-hearted, romantic comedy which was a great way to wind down after a hard working week.

I haven't read any of her Shopaholic books, but I did read Can You Keep a Secret? and I really enjoyed that. I bought this book purely because I needed something fun and uncomplicated after reading Stephen King's IT. It was my candy floss for my brain after chewing for hours on a steak.

The Undomestic Goddess is about a young female lawyer who's working her ass off to become the youngest partner at a very prestigious law firm. She almost succeeds, but makes one tiny little mistake that turns out to be a really big, irreparable one. She runs, needing some time to sort things out, gets mistaken for a housekeeper, and a whole slew of hilarious events follow.

This isn't the most original concept, by all means, but it has always promised the reader the best of times. A lot of it is quite predictable, but it's enjoyable to just sit back and see how things unfold as the characters go along. The most colourful characters, funnily enough, are her employers, who aren't the brightest of people, but they have the best intentions at heart.

Read it, if you enjoy chick-lit. It will definitely entertain you.